The Wilds of Space
by NaomiMiller
Summary: Amaya Dunia's father told her to shoot, so she shot for the stars as soon as she could taking a place on a deep space cargo frieghter. Years later she finds herself captain of a dying ship alone in deep space. Or so she thought. She doesn't plan on the Enterprise or the doctor that comes with her. T for now, may change later. Story is better than the summary.
1. Ambush

_**A/N: Inspiration comes from some of the strangest places. This one came from that Beyonce/Dixie Chicks collab at the CMAs. I must have listend to that song on loop for at least an hour. Amaya's character came out of that song and the story grew from there. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except Amaya and the Avis crew. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Dunia!" Amaya bolted upright at the sound of Captain Thalker's voice coming out of the intercom by her head. "Dunia, get your ass to the bridge right now, we're under attack!" The transmission cut off abruptly as the _Avis_ shook from what was unmistakably an explosion. Alarm klaxons ripped through the halls as Amaya stumbled into the wall, catching herself on the dresser to keep herself upright. _What in the hell was happening?_

Amaya righted herself and stuffed her feet into the first pair of shoes she came to. She didn't even bother to stop and tie the laces as she grabbed her phaser and thigh holster from the drawer and yanked open her door. She stepped directly into hell.

The corridor was hazy with smoke and smelled of fried wiring and something else she would rather not think about. She covered her nose and mouth with the collar of her shirt as she made her way to the lift. Her eyes stung and watered from the acrid chemicals that hung in the air. Amaya reached the lift and punched the call button. Alarms and lights continued to go off around her, echoing and ricocheting in her head. Two crew members—she couldn't tell who—went running by carrying fire suppressant, phasers at the ready. Neither of them noticed her and they were already down the corridor before she thought to ask them what was happening.

The lift arrived and she stepped in telling it to take her to the bridge two levels above. Within seconds she was on the bridge although it felt more like being in the middle of a maelstrom. She nearly tumbled out of the lift as another explosion rocked the _Avis_. Captain Thalker spotted her from his place in the captain's chair and motioned her over.

"Damage report!" he barked at the crew man manning the ship's systems monitors.

"Hull breaches on the port side on levels three and five. Engines took some damage and lost fifteen percent of their functioning power."

Amaya came to stand beside the Captain, her gaze fixed on the view screen and what lay beyond.

"Klingons," she spat. She should have known. There had been reports of Klingon activity in the quadrant recently and the _Avis_ happened to be carrying a full load of dilithium crystals and other precious metals and gems that were necessary for the operations of starship, primarily those belonging to the United Federation of Planets. The Klingons wanted the hard to come by materials for their own uses.

"Where did they even come from? Did the sensors pick them up?" someone asked.

"It's those damnable cloaking devices they have. They just appeared out of nowhere," Thalker said.

Amaya turned to the Captain Thalker, anger coursing through her veins. "I told you we should have waited for the escort ship the buyer was going to send us. This area of the galaxy is notorious for piracy."

Captain Thalker grimaced as the ship shuddered from another impact. "Your objections have been noted Dunia, but right now I need my first mate's help getting out of this alive and in mostly one piece."

Amaya bit back her comment about his concern for profit over his concern for his crew. Instead she took her station on the bridge where she could see readouts on every aspect of the ship both inside and out. She didn't like what she saw.

The _Avis_ was a cargo freighter with minimal defense mechanisms despite the fact that it operated in some of the wildest frontiers of space. She wasn't meant to take a beating like this. Immediately Amaya began damage control. Her father's voice echoed in her mind from her childhood. _"Remember Amaya, you can't fight the real fire if you can't see through the smoke of the smaller ones."_ Amaya scanned the damaged areas for signs of life and sealed them off if she found none to prevent the damage from spreading. So far their cargo remained stable and untouched. She eyeballed the ship's shields and saw they were holding at around forty-seven percent. Not great, but it would have to do. People ran on and off the bridge as more Klingons warbirds appeared out of thin air.

"Dunia, what do you have?" Thalker barked. She turned to glance over her shoulder at the captain. He was profusely sweating with a white-knuckled grip on the arms of the chair. She could tell the man was barely holding it together. Hell, even she was shaking in her boots a bit and she had grown up in a mining camp on the Texas plains, which was not the most hospitable of places.

"Shields at forty-seven percent, extensive hull damage I've sealed off the damaged compartments, which are so far limited to non-essential areas. Structural integrity holding at seventy-five percent. In short, she can't take this much longer."

Captain Thalker nodded. "How many are there?"

Amaya scanned her instrument panels. Everything blurred as another explosion rocked the ship. Alarms lit up all over her control panel. Shit.

A volley of phasers flew from the Klingon warbirds. The bridge exploded in a shower of sparks. Amaya was thrown face first into the controls in front of her with enough force that she was momentarily dazed. When she gathered her senses about her she pushed herself upright and felt a hot, damp substance dripping into her eyes that blocked her vision. She reached up a hand to wipe it away and her fingers came away slick with blood. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. Things were still slightly doubled, but at least she could see again. She grabbed the edge of the control panel and pulled herself to her feet.

Her ears were ringing as she took stock of the damage. The bridge had descended into complete chaos. The only source of light was from the emergency lights that case everything in an eerie half-light through the clouds of smoke that were pouring from various control panels. Sparks shot from some exposed wiring nearby. She scanned the bridge looking for the crew. A couple of people were moving, looking about as dazed as she felt. Most were on the floor or slumped over chairs or control panels not moving. One such person was Captain Thalker who was sprawled across the floor in front of the captain's chair. Amaya scrambled over debris and her own feet in her haste to get to the captain. She may not have agreed with or been overly fond of the man, but he was still the captain and right now they needed him.

She dropped to her knees next to the captain. Her heart sank as she noticed how unnervingly still he was. She noted that he appeared to have sustained a significant blow to the right temple as she felt for a carotid pulse and looked for any sign of breathing. She found neither. Shit.

"Captain! Klingon ships approaching!" a crewmember called.

Amaya whirled to face the view screen that showed the Klingons were indeed advancing on the _Avis_. They were a sitting duck in their current state. Amaya grabbed the nearest mobile crewmember.

"Grab a stretcher and get the captain down to the sick bay. I doubt anything can help him, but we have to try. Once you're done there get a few people set on transporting the injured to sick bay."

"Yes ma'am."

Amaya took one last look at Captain Thalker and then took her new seat in the Captain's chair. She was now the acting captain of the _Avis_. Opening a comm line with engineering, she started to form a plan.

"Bridge to Adaz."

There was a long moment where Amaya wondered if the ship's engineering crew was still alive before the chief engineer, Ursuro Adaz, answered.

"Adaz here."

"Adaz, it's Amaya. What's the status of the engines down there?"

"They've taken a beating, but so far they're holding up. What's happening up there?"

"Klingons," Amaya spat. "Listen, I need you to direct whatever power you can to the engines. Leave only the necessary systems online and be ready to get the hell out of here when I say."

"Got it."

Amaya signed off and turned to the _Avis's_ communications controller. "Harshaw, open a broadcast channel." To his credit the man barely blinked at the change in captaincy. He ran adept fingers over his controls.

"Channel opened, but I'm not sure how well it's transmitting. The communications array took some damage."

 _Of course it did,_ Amaya thought to herself. "It'll have to do. I need you to broadcast on as wide a frequency as you can. Get out our location and what's happened and pray to whatever higher powers you believe in that someone hears us," Amaya instructed as the Klingon warbirds moved ever closer.

* * *

Captain Jim Kirk settled more comfortably in his chair on the bridge of the _Enterprise_. They had finished the rebuilds at Yorktown a few months ago and had resumed their deep space mission. Currently they were sailing through space to investigate a new star system they had discover with a probe last night. After the events with Altamid and Krall he welcomed the routine of this. Excitement was overrated at the moment. Nebulas and star systems and mapping space, that was all he needed right now.

The doors to the bridge opened behind him and he turned to see McCoy walk onto the bridge.

"Bones," he called. "How's the ship's company today?"

"In top shape. That break for repairs on Yorktown really helped improve health and let me get everyone caught up on vaccines. I got nothing to do besides the occasional sniffle or scrape. Not that I'm complaining."

"I here you there. I'm more than happy to have some peace and quiet."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he heard an incoming transmission from the communications board. Both he and Bones turned to watch as Uhura placed a hand over her earpiece and turned a few dials. Her brow furrowed as she listened to the message coming in. She looked over at Kirk.

"Captain, I'm getting a distress call from the _CSS Avis_ , a cargo freighter. It's faint, but they say they're under attack by Klingons. They've given their location, which I just sent to navigation."

Kirk turned to where Checkov was madly punching information into his section of the control panel. "By these calculations we can be there within the hour captain."

"Mr. Sulu, set course for those coordinates, maximum warp."

Sulu nodded already setting in the course and reaching for the warp controls. "Aye Captain."

"I'll go prep sick bay," Bones muttered as Jim turned back toward Uhura. Jim thought he also caught a muttered, "He had to go and say something didn't he."

"Uhura, try and hail the _Avis_ if you can."

"The signal was weak, but I'll do what I can."

"Excellent." He turned to face front as the _Enterprise_ warp drive hurled the ship through the uncharted wilds of space. So much for that peace and quiet.

* * *

Most of the alarms had finally stopped shrieking as crew members started to put out fires and patch up some of the damage. It had only been ten minutes since the attack had begun, but it felt like it had been days. Crew members ran on and off the bridge to carry away the injured and to give updates on the status of the ship. The first one had been the crew member who had taken Captain Thalker away to inform her that the captain had not made it. Amaya was officially captain of the _Avis_. Although she might not be captain very long given the current state of events.

The Klingons were right on top of the _Avis_ by now. They weren't doing anything yet, which was concerning her, especially since she hadn't heard anything more out of the engineering crew. If they couldn't get out of here they had a problem. What were the Klingons waiting for?

"Adaz to bridge." Amaya practically fell on the comm button.

"Dunia here."

"As you've requested I've diverted whatever power I could into the engines. They've sustained a bit of damage, but after a quick inspection they're still serviceable and are ready whenever you are."

 _Thank God for small miracles,_ Amaya thought. To Adaz she said, "Thanks Adaz."

"Aye Captain, Adaz out."

Amaya signed off. The Klingon ships were still hovering around the _Avis_. She was about to check in with the ships' doctor when the view screen from being filled with stars to being filled with an imposing Klingon commander. Everyone on the bridge went still when they saw the Klingon.

"I am Commander Lorten of the Klingon Empire. Surrender your cargo and we will let you live as servants of the empire. Resist and you will be terminated. You have one minute to decide before we board you." The screen went blank. Shit. As if things couldn't get worse. She looked around at the crew member on the bridge. They were all seasoned space travelers, used to the perils of cargo vessels. Most of them were from planets that were barely hospitable at best and hellish at worst. They all wore the same wary, tense expression. None of them wanted to die. They also didn't want the Klingons to have their cargo either. Amaya wasn't going to let either of those things happen.

"Ferkis," she barked at one of the men manning the controls, "are they scanning us at all?"

"Negative Captain." It still felt stranger hearing them call her captain. She gathered this information and called back to her engineer.

"Adaz, can the _Avis_ hold it together well enough to reach maximum warp speeds?"

"We'll leave a few parts floating around, but I believe she'll hold up to it. I do recommend not maintaining the speed for a prolonged period of time though."

"Acknowledged." She turned to the crewman running the helm. "Rahjah, maximum warp to somewhere that's not here." Their maximum warp wasn't very fast, but she hoped this plus the element of surprise would be enough to get them away from the Klingons.

Amaya was pressed back into her chair as the _Avis_ lurched into warp. It wasn't smooth by any stretch of the imagination, but she was giving it her all. Amaya had to give the ship's builders credit. They built some sturdy space craft. She waited for a long, tense moment before turning to the crew member who had taken over her position. "Kalara, is there any sign of pursuit?"

The woman scanned the panels in front of her before shaking her head. "No captain, no signs of anyone following us."

Amaya slowly released a sigh of relief. "Good, I want you to keep an eye on that and let me know if anything changes."

She pressed the comm button and called back down to Adaz.

"How's she holding up Adaz?"

There was a long pause before the engineer's voice came on. There was an incredible racket in the background. "The old girl is holding it together so far, but, as I'm sure you can hear, she's not overly happy about all this recent abuse."

"Can we hold it together for a little while longer?"

"We'll do everything we can Captain. I give five, ten minutes tops."

Amaya nodded her head even though he couldn't see her. "That'll have to do. Thanks Adaz." She signed off. "Rahjah, drop down to warp 4. We'll need to maintain this for a bit longer. I want to put as much distance as we're able between us and those Klingons."

The crewman nodded. "Aye Captain."

Hearing the word _captain_ reminded her that she needed to appoint a new First Mate. She thought through the ship's crew about who might be the best fit for the position, but ultimately left it for a later time. Aside from Engineering and the bridge, she didn't even know who all was left alive.

"Captain!" She shook her thoughts off and looked up to Kalara. "I have a ship incoming."

Amaya was immediate alert. "Klingon?"

"Negative. It is coming toward us instead of from behind us."

"Toward us?"

"Aye Captain."

* * *

"Captain, I'm detecting a ship approaching at approximately warp 4. They're headed directly for us," Sulu called.

Kirk leaned forward in his chair, "Can you tell what type of ship it is?"

Sulu punched in a set of instructions. "It appears to be a cargo ship sir."

"Lieutenant Uhura, have you been able to reach the _Avis_?"

"Negative Captain. The distress call has also stopped. Perhaps their communication system has been damaged."

Kirk turned back to the view screen. "Perhaps."

"Sir, the vessel is almost upon us," Sulu warned.

"Right, drop us out of warp Mr. Sulu."

Space snapped back into its normal dimensions as the _Enterprise_ dropped out of warp almost right on top of another ship.

"Jesus."

 _ **A/N: As always I would love to know what you think. Leave me a review after this note. ~Naomi**_


	2. Stubborn Captains and Vexing Doctors

_**A/N: This story is practically writing itself at the moment. I really enjoyed writing this one and hope you have just as much fun reading it. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize I do not own. I only lay claim to Amaya and the Avis crew.**_

* * *

"Jesus."

The biggest ship Amaya had ever seen had just appeared in space in front of them. She had never seen anything like it. Her brain said it had to be a Federation ship, but what were they doing all the way out here? She didn't think they had the capabilities to get out this far in space. Whatever the reason she was damn glad to see them.

Amaya turned to Harshaw, "Can we get a message out to them?"

The Orion man shrugged. "Possibly. The communications array went on the fritz while we were in warp."

"Get it done."

Amaya resisted the urge to chew her nails as the operator tinkered with the control panel. Now that most of the adrenaline had left her system she was starting to feel the beginning stages of exhaustion set in and her head was throbbing like a warp core. She reached a hand up and felt blood matted in her hair and crusted on her face. Her black shirt and gray leggings were torn and singed and she could already feel bruises forming in various places. She probably looked a fright. At least her boots and phaser were still in working order. That was something. It was hard to find a decent pair of boots in space.

"Captain, I've got a signal. It's not the strongest in the galaxy, but there's a transmission from the other ship waiting."

Amaya nodded, straightening up in the chair. "Put it on the screen."

Harshaw punched a couple of buttons and Amaya was confronted with a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. They were alarmingly blue and belonged to the man in the yellow shirt who was standing on a bridge that looked straight out of a Starfleet admiral's dreams. She let out a low whistle.

"My name is James T. Kirk, captain of the _USS Enterprise_. To whom am I speaking?" The image flickered in and out, but at least the audio remained relatively clear.

"Amaya Dunia, acting captain of the Doleran cargo ship _Avis._ Did you get our distress call?"

"Yes we intercepted your distress call and were our our way to your position when we intercepted you. I have to say Captain Dunia, I'm surprised your ship managed to achieve warp at all."

Amaya felt a bit of pride at this. She had been on the _Avis_ since she was nineteen. After five years on board the ship felt like family. "The _Avis_ is tougher than she looks. She did take quite a beating though."

"It looks like you did as well," Kirk commented.

She couldn't stop herself from reaching for her face. "It seems mostly superficial. A hot shower and some sleep and I'll be good as new."

"I'd like to hear more about this Klingon attack."

"Of course Captain Kirk, but I need to see to my crew first and take stock of the ship."

The man nodded in understanding. "Absolutely. If it helps I can send over some of my medical and engineering crew," he offered.

"That would be greatly appreciated captain. We're a little out of our depth here. We're a cargo ship, not a military vessel."

"Excellent. We'll beam over. Kirk out."

The screen went blank. Amaya turned to what was left of the bridge crew. They were all as battered as she was, but they were alive. Others couldn't say the same. They would have to arrange a memorial for the captain and the other crew after they got things sorted. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. So many things to figure out in the next couple of days.

"Harshaw, open a ship's channel if you can."

"Channel open captain."

Amaya nodded her thanks. "Attention crew. I need all crew who are able to to report to the ship's mess. If you find any injured crew you are to transport them to the sick bay and then report to the mess. Also, there are crew members from a Federation ship beaming aboard to help with the mop up. Please direct them to the bridge. Dunia out."

* * *

McCoy had gone immediately down to sick bay and set every available nurse he could on discharging the few patients they had and checking stock and prepping rooms for triage and care. He had no idea what to expect. It was terrifying and exhilarating. He loved the challenges and discoveries that practicing medicine in space offered. Not that he would let anyone know that.

"Chapel, do you have all the regenerators up and ready to go?"

"Yes doctor, they are ready to use as soon as the patients start coming in."

"Excellent. Jameson do you have the pain meds and anti-biotics ready?"

The man nodded. "Prepped and stocked in every bed and in the crash kits."

"Good work."

A whistle announced a call on his communicator. He took it off his belt and flipped it open as he mentally ran through his emergency checklist again. "McCoy."

"Bones, listen," Jim's voice came out. "I need you to gather a team and whatever supplies you may need and meet me in the transporter room ASAP."

He sighed. "Alright, will do."

He moved to where Chapel was discharging the last patient. "Chapel, you and Dr. Morgenstern are in charge. Jameson, Rollins, Alexander, and Grant," he called out to two of his nurses and the two medics that were currently on duty, "Grab your kits. You're coming with me." The four medical staff members nodded and grabbed their tricorders and equipment before following him out the door. The corridors were crawling with crew members preparing for the arrival of any survivors. Others were checking and preparing defenses in case the Klingons decided to track the wounded ship down. McCoy sincerely hoped they wouldn't.

When he reached the transporter room he found Jim waiting there along with Scotty and his engineering crew and a handful of security officers.

Jim clapped his hands together. "Excellent, everyone's here. Bones, you, the medical team, and myself will beam over first. Scotty and the rest will follow right behind." He got grunts and nods of agreement from the gathered crew.

McCoy took his place on the transporter pad. "Any idea what we're getting into?"

Jim shrugged as he double checked his phaser and communicator. "I honestly can't tell you Bones. What I can tell you though is that I have no idea how they even got to warp speeds, much less maintained them. The ship's barely holding together."

"Ready captain?" the transporter tech called.

"Energize."

* * *

Amaya fought to keep her eyes open. Now that everything had settled more or less she could feel every bump and bruise and she was damn exhausted. ' _You gotta stick through Maya. Remember you can sleep when you're dead,'_ her pa's voice ghosted through her mind.

Amaya gave a mirthless laugh. "I came pretty close to being just that."

"Captain?" Kalara asked turning slightly in her seat to look at her.

"Don't worry Kalara, I'm merely talking to myself. Go ahead to the mess. I'll wait for the Enterprise crew to arrive."

"Yes captain, if you're sure you're alright?" The Thordan woman sounded skeptical.

Amaya discreetly tightened her grip on the back of the chair she was leaned against as the world titled slightly. "I'll be fine. Now go on. And take Rahjah with you. I know he's lurking just outside."

"Yes captain."

Kalara left the bridge. As soon as the doors closed behind her, Amaya collapsed in the chair. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes fighting back the wave of nausea that was trying to crawl up her throat. Her energy was weakening rapidly, but she needed to be strong for her crew and ship right now. She'd deal with everything else later.

She must have dozed off for a minute. The next thing she knew she was jolted awake by fingers on her neck and a voice that sounded an awful lot like home. Her pulse picked up in response to this unknown invasion as she struggled to bring herself back to reality. The fingers on her neck pressed harder and without stopping to think Amaya swung out a fist until it connected with something—or rather some _one_ —solid.

"Ow dammit!"

Amaya finally regained awareness of her surroundings. She shook herself and found a group of people standing on the bridge. The only one she recognized was the man with the blue eyes in the yellow shirt. There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

Amaya heaved herself out of her chair and winced at a twinge in her side. "Captain Kirk?"

He stepped forward and put out his hand. "At your service. Captain Dunia I presume?"

She shook his hand. "That would be me. Apologies for the welcoming committee." She waved a hand to encompass the destroyed bridge.

"Not a problem, although our good Dr. McCoy there would probably disagree with me," the man said with a nod behind her. She turned to find a man leaning on the arm of the chair she had been sitting in with a hand pressed to his abdomen. Excellent, she had assaulted the ship's doctor.

"Sorry about that, I'm afraid it's a reflex of mine when I'm caught by surprise. Hit first and ask questions later."

The man straightened with a groan. "Sounds like someone else I know." His brow furrowed as he looked at her. He pulled something out of his pocket and began hovering it around her head. Amaya batted it away as Kirk made the rest of the introductions of the crew. "What are you doing?"

"You have a head injury that needs tending to," he informed her trying to put whatever it was back up. She batted it away again.

"I'm fine. This can wait. There are more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. I've instructed the crew that are able to to gather in the mess. If you all will come with me."

Captain Kirk motioned for her to go ahead. "Lead the way."

Amaya hoped she didn't fall on her face.

* * *

Leonard was back to breathing normally again as he followed the _Avis's_ captain and Jim through the ship. The woman certainly had a mean left hook on her. He would most likely be sporting a bruise for the next week or so. Guess that's what he got for not checking her responsiveness before touching her. In his defense, with the blood crusted on her face and in her hair and the way she had been slumped in that chair had given her the appearance of being dead or nearly there. She still looked that way. He didn't like the sway in her step. She stumbled and Kirk caught her before she hit the wall. He shook his head in exasperation. Even after having only met her a few minutes ago, he could tell those two were cut from the same cloth. Stubborn, tough, fiery, and both were proven pains in his ass. He knew from experience that she wouldn't accept any help until her crew and her ship had been seen to.

"What are you doing this far out in space?" Jim asked her as they turned into a side hall that was just as dark and grim as the last.

"The _Avis_ is a cargo freighter as I'm sure you're aware of. We travel mainly mining trade routes with the occasional agricultural transport. It all just depends on who hires us." He noted that she spoke with a soft Texas drawl. It was a bit incongruous with her face that spoke of south Asian ancestry, most likely India he guessed.

"Why would the Klingons attack you? Was it something you were carrying?" Kirk continued.

"That is what I believe. We have a few tons of dilithium crystals, some sawtooth diamonds, beryllium, and other various minerals and stones on board." They took another turn and something blew in an electrical circuit nearby making everyone except Captain Dunia flinch. She barely seemed to notice the sparks exploding from the wall.

"It'll take a miracle to get this thing space worthy," Scotty muttered from where he walked beside McCoy.

"How did you end up on a cargo freighter so far out in space?" Leonard asked, voicing a question he had been pondering since they had boarded the _Avis_.

She turned slightly to answer him over her shoulder, "I've been ship and base-hopping across the galaxy since I was sixteen. I've took a place on the _Avis_ when I was nineteen five years ago."

Ship-hopping since she was sixteen? No wonder she was so tough. Captain Dunia check her steps and looked up at a door a dozen feet down the hall. He could hear voices drifting out from the room beyond. He didn't recognizes any of the languages from the snippets he could catch.

"Here we are captain," she said motioning Kirk through the door. Leonard and the others followed him into the room and stopped dead. He had never seen so many races and species in the same room before. He was fairly certain the captain was the only human crew member.

"Oh," he muttered, "this is going to be fun."

* * *

Amaya blinked a few times to clear her vision. The blurriness subsided and she could see what was left of her crew. They hadn't lost as many as she had feared, but there were significantly fewer people in the room than there should have been. Where there should have been fifty-six she estimated there were now somewhere around thirty-five.

Everyone turned to face her as she walked in with the crew from the _Enterprise_.

"Where's the captain?" someone asked before she could even open her mouth to say anything.

She leaned back against the wall behind her to keep herself from falling over. A move that did not go unnoticed by the _Enterprise's_ doctor who narrowed his eyes at her before turning back to scan the rest of the room.

"Captain Thalker unfortunately died from injuries he got in the attack," Amaya informed the crew. A murmur ran through the gathered crew at the news.

"So you're the captain now?" someone else called.

She nodded and then regretted the motion as it set off the pounding in her head again. "Yes, I am the captain now. Everyone good with that?" There were nods and general sounds of agreement from the crew.

"Good. Now that that's settled we have plenty to sort out." She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded in the direction of the Captain Kirk and his crew. "This is Captain James Kirk and members of his crew from the _USS Enterprise_. They're here to help with mop up. Here's what I want everyone to do. Anyone with any serious injuries is to report to the sick bay immediately and take the guys in the blue shirts with you. The doctor here needs something to do." Said doctor glared at her from the other side of the room clearly not happy with things. Amaya wondered briefly if the man even knew how to smile or if that was just his baseline. She suspected the latter.

"Everyone else I want looking for survivors and clearing out debris. No one is to go into the sealed sections of the ship until a complete damage assessment can be done. The last thing I want right now is for someone to get sucked into space." This earned a few chuckles from the crew. Gallows humor was their favorite coping mechanism.

"Right, let's get started then."

The mess filled with the scraping sounds of benches and tables being pushed around as the crew heaved themselves up and began shuffling out the door. The doctor from the _Enterprise_ started her way, but before he got very far he was waylaid by Merwit, one of her security crew. He had his left arm cradled to his chest and was supporting Uthin, another security member, with his right. Merwit said something to the doctor who looked him over with a critical eye before nodding. He looked over at where Amaya was standing.

"Captain Dunia, see to your crew, but I better see your ass in sick bay in fifteen minutes," he called over Merwit's shoulder. Before Amaya could say anything more the man turned on his heel and followed Merwit and Uthin out the door. The rest of the blue shirts followed.

Amaya gaped after him. That man had to be the most irritating and arrogant son of a bitch she had ever had the displeasure of meeting. She felt sorry for his crewmates who had to put up with him. Speaking of which…

With great reluctance Amaya pushed herself up off the wall and moved towards the _Enterprise_ crew. Captain Kirk met her halfway, a gesture for which she was entirely grateful. The floor felt unsteady beneath her boots and another wave of nausea threatened to overcome her. He placed a steadying hand on her elbow and Amaya realized it wasn't the floor that was unsteady, it was her, swaying where she stood.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked her, his blue eyes filled with concern.

"Yes. I'll be fine. Eventually. Despite the fact that your doctor seems to think I'm standing at Death's door."

"Bones thinks everyone's standing at Death's door. Even more so in space."

"Why do you call him Bones?"

"That, is a story I'll tell you later. For now what do you need us to do?" he asked her getting them back on track.

Amaya mentally smacked herself. Her father would have hit her upside the back of her head. _Focus Amaya,_ he would have said. _Lose focus and you could lose everything._ "Right, I'll take your engineer and his crew to the engine room. Captain Kirk, if you'll take your remaining crew and assist in the recovery efforts it would be greatly appreciated. Just find one of my crew if you need any help. They all speak passable English, some better than others. Although if you come across a stocky blue guy with horns wearing a red jacket, don't bother unless you're good with accents. His is so thick _I_ barely understand half of what he says." Amaya realized she was rambling and shut her mouth.

Kirk looked more than slightly amused. "Right." He pulled something off his belt and flipped it open. "Kirk to Enterprise."

"Spock here captain."

"Have Lieutenant Uhura beam over with a few of her communications officers. We may have need of some language assistance."

"I'll inform her. Do you require anything else?"

"I'm guessing Bones will probably be sending patients over, so have a med team standing by the transporter to receive them."

"Understood captain."

Kirk snapped his communicator closed. "Alright gentlemen let's get to work. Scotty, I'll check in with you in a bit."

"Aye captain." The engineer turned to Amaya as Captain Kirk led his men out of the mess.

"Lead the way Lassie."

* * *

Scotty followed Captain Dunia through the halls of the _Avis_. To his engineer's eye the _Avis_ was the product of some quality craftsmanship. Not _Enterprise_ grade craftsmanship, but good work just the same. It wouldn't have held up this long otherwise. Her captain was apparently made of stern stuff as well. She looked as if she had taken just as much of a beating as her ship had. Already he could see the beginnings of a black eye forming around her right eye.

"Are you sure you're alright lass?" he asked her catching her as she stumbled again.

She pushed herself upright. "I'll be fine. Let me just take you to engineering and then I'll avail myself of your good doctor's services." The reached a ladder and started down to the deck below. "Tell me, is your doctor always so….," she trailed off looking for the right word.

"Charming?" Scotty suggested as his boots landed on the deck. Already he could hear the faint sounds of the engines and they were not happy sounds. His comment drew a half smile out of the captain.

"I was going to say vexing," she said leading them down the corridor. The racket from the engines grew more pronounced as they approached.

"Aye, he's always been an irascible bastard, but he grows on you after awhile and he's a damn fine doctor."

"Mold grows on you after a while too. Doesn't mean it's good for you," she commented drily. Scotty snorted. He could easily picture all the conniptions the doctor in question would have at the comparison.

"Here we are," she said. Her voice was raised to be heard over the engines that were making a hellacious racket.

Scotty followed her into chaos. Steam billowed from multiple places. Sparks shot from others. People were everywhere. Immediately he started identifying problems.

"ADAZ!" Dunia bellowed from beside him causing Scotty to nearly jump out of his skin. He wouldn't have thought that someone of her size could have made that much noise. A moment later a man separated from the general chaos of the room. He was dark-skinned and burly with a set of massive arms and hands covered in vibrantly green markings that matched his equally unsettling green eyes.

"Dunia," he boomed when he reached them. His brows knitted together when he got a look at her. "Are you alright?"

She huffed in exasperation shoving a few loose strands of hair out of her face. "I wish everyone would stop asking me that. I've been better, obviously. Now," she swung a hand to indicate Scotty and his crew, narrowly missing one of his engineers who stepped out of the way just in time. "This is Montgomery Scotty, chief engineer from the Federation ship _USS Enterprise_ and members of his crew. They're here to help wherever it's needed."

Captain Dunia paused. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back a bit taking a deep breath through her nose. The man he assumed was her lead engineer reached out a hand to steady her. She opened her eyes and gave the man a tired smile. He didn't have much in the way of medical training, but even Scotty knew that the pallor developing in her face was not a good sign.

* * *

Amaya's vision swam and her hearing seemed to be underwater. If it wasn't for Ursuro's support she honestly didn't think she'd be able to stand right now. Shit. Maybe she should have listened to that damn doctor.

"Mr. Scott, this is my head of engineering Ursuro Adaz." Her vision started to go dark around the edges and her ears started to ring. She turned to Adaz and opened her mouth to tell him that she needed to go to sick bay, but nothing came out. Instead she felt her knees buckle and the last thing she was aware of was Adaz catching her as she crumpled to the floor and the alarmed faces of the _Enterprise_ crew.

 _ **A/N: As always I would love to know what you think. Reviews keep the story going. Leave me a note after this message~ Naomi**_


	3. The Things That Hide in the Dark

_**A/N: I'm BACK! It is 1:30 AM, but I finally finished some writing and it doesn't present itself as straight garbage. If explanations are needed for medical jargon used see A/N at the bottom. DISCLAIMER: Any Thing, one, or place, is clearly not mine or else I'd more free time on my hands. All recognizable elements belong to their respective parties.**_

McCoy thought the ship's doc, Piran Dem, might have started cyring when the _Enterprise_ crew showed up in the sick bay. It was clear he was overwhelmed by the number of injured crew in his four bed bay. Brief introductions were made before they set to work.

"Right." He gathered his medical team together. "Here's what I want to do. We're going to start with triage. I'll send any red tags to the Enterprise where I'll treat them with Dr. Morgenstern. Jameson, you'll be in charge here with Dr. Dem. Any severe yellow tags we'll also send over to the Enterprise for treatment. Once they've been stabilized, we'll transfer anyone else who needs extra treatment. All the others we'll treat here. That should distribute everyone evenly enough to manage."

His team nodded and set to work. They split the patients between themselves and the _Avis_ medical crew. It quickly became clear that his assumption about the the captain had been correct. She did appear to be the only human on board the _Avis._ He needed the Starlfeet databases on the _Enterprise_ to treat most, if not all of the patients. He might need to see if Dr. Dem would be willing to either go to the _Enterprise_ with him or be willing to conference with him.

Leonard ran his tricorder over a tall man with deep brown skin and thick violet lines that ran down both side of his face and down his neck disappearing into his shirt. The scan recorded his vitals and catalogued his injuries. He placed a holopatch on the man's shirt that turned yellow and displayed the relevant information for the transportation group. He was about to move on to the next patient when the doors to the sick bay were bodily shoved open and a burly man covered in scrolling green markings entered. What caught Leonard's attention though was the figure slumped in the man's arms.

"Dammit," he exclaimed as he walked over and cleared a space for the man to lay Captain Dunia down. "I told her she needed medical help."

"Amaya's not one to take advice she doesn't ask for," the man who brought her in commented.

"Yeah, something I'm becoming familiar with," Leonard grumbled to himself as he checked her pupillary reactions. They were dilated and slow to react, not a good sign. The rest of his primary assessment did nothing to assuage his worries. While her pulse was normal if a bit on the weak side, her slow respiratory rate, and elevated blood pressure told him she was starting to go into shock.

"Dammit woman," he cursed opening his communicator. She needed medical attention immediately. "McCoy to transporter, two to beam over." He didn't wait for a response before he lifted the captain in his arms. A second later he felt the familiar pull of the transporter. Ten seconds after that he was marching off the transporter platform where he laid Captain Dunia on a waiting hover stretcher and followed it to the sick bay, barely taking notice of the curious glances he drew. Upon arriving in the sick bay he directed the stretcher into the nearest empty code room.

" Chapel, I need a CT scanner and anti-inflammatory hypos," he barked reassessing the captain's condition. Dr. Morgenstern appeared at his elbow and began hooking Captain Dunia up to the monitors.

"Head injury?" she queried making sure the biobed was communicating with the computers.

"Yes, that's the most immediate life threat I've found so far. Fix that and most of the other problems should Chapel!" He was about to go look for his chief nurse when she came barreling into the room. She slapped the hypos into his hand and then stepped around to place the narrow CT band around the captain's head.

"Scanner ready."

"Go ahead, let's see how bad it is."

The scanner closed around her head and started rotating. Pictures of cross-sections began showing up on the screen on the wall. Leonard scanned the images until he spoted what he was looking for.

"There." He pointed to a large spot of discoloration on the frontal lobe. "Looks like a subdural hematoma, probable concussion injury. Need to reduce the bleeding and swelling. Let's get some anti-convulsants in her too just to be safe." Chapel and the other nurse moved into action, administering the indicated hypos. He eyeballed her vital signs, particularly her blood pressure. It was towards the higher end of what he'd like, but still within normal ranges. "Let's get some anti-hypertensive hypos on standby just in case. I don't want her pressure going up and causing more damage."

" Yes doctor."

He finished his evaluation and took a long look at the woman lying in the bed. She was currently as stable as they were going to get her. All that was left now was to monitor and see what happened.

* * *

Amaya opened her eyes and knew she had to be dreaming. She hadn't seen the west Texas mining camp where she had grown up in over eight years. She also hadn't seen the man standing before her giving her a predatory grin in as many years. she had hoped to never see him again.

"What the hell are you doing here Nova?" she demanded. The relentless Texas heat beat down on them. They stood on the edge of the camp. Amaya could see the mining pits in the distance.

"I live here remember. The better question is what are you doing here? I mean, not that I mind in the least getting to see your lovely face, but last I heard you were off cowering on some distant star."

She felt her anger spike as it always did whenever she heard the drivel that came out of Nova Flint's mouth. She didn't give in to the urge to sling it back at him as she might have once.

"Although I've been finding quite the comfort from your young sister here." Amaya's blood ran cold as her younger sister, Nani, sidled up next to Nova and tried to put on a brave face for her, but she wasn't able to fool her.

"Nani?"

"Oh yes, Nani has been a great boon to me these last few years. So much so that I've decided to make her my wife and she's agreed."

Amaya physically felt his words. She had never in a million years expected this. Her feet became rocks bound in the Texas soil as disbelief turned to a white-hot, blinding anger at the sight of the slim gold ring on her sister's left hand.

She flew at Nova ready to claw his eyes out or knock his rotten teeth in or both, anything to get his hands off her baby sister. "She's sixteen you fucking scumbag! Sixteen!" He caught her hands in his before she could even touch him.

"The same age as you when I proposed to you," he whispered in her ear pulling her close. Amaya shoved down the urge to hurl at his proximity and the feel of his hands on her. At least he had taken his hands off Nani who had used the opportunity to move away.

"You sick sack of dust! You're nearly three decades older!" She aimed a kick at his shins that he side stepped easily. It was one of the things that always infuriated Amaya about him. No matter how hard she fought she could never touch him. So she spit in his face instead. He dropped her and she stumbled back.

Nova swiped a hand over his face and wiped it off on his stained jeans. "Now really, is that any way for a lady to act?"

Amaya scoffed, "As we both know, I'm not a lady."

Nani continued to edge further away from Nova while he was focused on Amaya. She hoped her sister would have the sense to run and never look back. She should've known Nova would fixate on her sister when he couldn't have her, especially with the extra money she was sending back from her work on the Avis. She should have known he would have guessed that Nani would make a good target for his disgusting schemes with only their world-weary mother there to do anything. Amaya loved her mother, but ever since their father had been killed in a mining accident she had been a shell of herself. She wouldn't be much protection against Nova Flint.

"What game are you playing at Nova? Just because you can't have me you'll settle for my sister?" Amaya fought to keep control of her temper. Her whole body was trembling with rage. "There are plenty of other women in this camp. Easier targets. Go pick one of them."

Nova stepped closer to her until they were almost nose to nose. She held herself perfectly still, refusing to back down even though every fiber of her body was screaming at her to run.

"Don't flatter yourself sweetheart. Your sister is a beautiful woman in her own right." He gave her a sly, oily grin. "It will give me great pleasure to break her."

Amaya reached up a hand to smack that ugly leer off his face. He caught her wrist in a vice-like grip and bent it back. She fell to her knees. Nani turned back to her.

"Maya!"

"Go, Nani! Get out of here!" She waved her sister off with her free arm. Amaya felt Nova change his grip on her arm and she knew what was coming. She screamed as Nova snapped her arm.

Amaya bolted upright in a world of white. Her heart was racing and she was having trouble getting the neccesary oxygen into her lungs making her light-headed. She took stock of herself expecting to find her right arm at odd angles, but it was still intact with no sign of Nova having ever grabbed it. She finally managed to suck in a breath of air.

"A dream," she gasped. "Just an awful dream."

A commotion brought her attention back to where she was. This was not the _Avis._ She was on a bed in a bluish-white room with curtains for walls. Curtains that were being shoved aside by man whose face brought back bits and pieces of what had happened. There had been an attack on the _Avis_. She had been injured. A Federation ship had shown up to assist. That must be where she was now. She also remembered that this man had simply rubbed her the wrong way though her foggy mind couldn't remember who he was or why.

"Steady Captain Dunia," the man said as he came over and used a hand on her shoulder to gently press her back onto the mattress. That drawl that reminded her of home tipped her memory off on who he was. Dr. McCoy, the CMO of the Federation ship.

Her heartrate was slowly coming back down to its normal limits and she could take deeper breaths as she started piecing reality back together. "Sorry, bad dream."

Dr. McCoy nodded. "Yeah, taking a severe blow to the head and letting it go untreated until you pass out will do that to you," he commented drily as he checked the various monitors she was attached to. Now she remembered why she didn't like him.

"I had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment," she retorted. Amaya watched in mild fascination as a vein suddenly popped out on his temple and a muscle started twitching in his jaw. He rounded on her, a scowl firmly planted on his face.

"More pressing matters than your life, which you apparently have no regard for," he spat. "Do you know how long you've been lying in this bed in a damn coma for because of your 'unimportant' head injuries? Three days!"

She started. She had been laid up here for three days? She tried to push herself upright, but the ever charming doctor pushed her back down with more force and held her there.

"The hell do you think you're going?"

"It's been three days. I need to see to my crew and the ship."

"It's being taken care of. Your engineer-who carried you here by the way- Us-something has been leaving you regular updates on the ship and an alarmingly tall woman with purple stripes on her face has been doing the same with the crew."

"Usuro and Kalara," she informed him. Well, that settled the matter of who would be the next first mate on the Avis.

"Yes, those two. They left it all on a PADD, which is over there," he said indicating a device on the bedside shelf. Amaya tried to move to reach it, but McCoy hadn't let go of her yet.

"Now, I'll get it for you so long as you give me your word that you won't try to bolt from this bed as soon as I let you go. I am not above using restraints when necessary on unruly patients."

Amaya gaped at the man. She had been thinking of doing just that.

"I know a captain much like you who has taught me most of the tricks by now and my daughter taught me the rest," he explained. She would hate to be this man's daughter.

"Your captain I take it?" It was strange having a conversation at this angle.

"Yes, the kid is the bane of my existence. Now, do I have your word that you'l stay here or are you going to be more difficult than you already are?"

She had so many things on the tip of her tongue to say to that, but she grudgingly nodded and he let go of her. She tried again to push herself upright, but he beat her to it pressing a button on the side that lifted the back of the bed so that she could be propped up.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He handed her the PADD. "I'll let you go through that. If you try to leave I will strap you to the bed and post a guard."

Amaya scowled at him. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a bastard?"

He huffed a laugh. "Frequently." With that he left.

Amaya stared at where he had been standing for a moment longer before she turned her attention to the tablet in her hands. She tapped the screen and was grateful to see that her two officers had organized everything into folders. One for the ship and one for the crew with sub folders dividing things further. She decided to look at the crew first and settled in to find out what notifications and promotions she would be doing in the next few days and weeks.

* * *

Leonard moved back to his desk and picked up his PADD. Most of the _Avis's_ injured crew had been treated and released over the last few days, taking up residence in the numerous guest quarters the _Enterprise_ boasted. Only a handful of the crew remained in the med bay, including Captain Dunia. They had taken the _Avis_ under tow and were headed back to the nearest starbase. Scotty and the _Avis's_ engineer, whose name he still couldn't remember, were working on what repairs they could. He had seen a fair number of engineering crew members from both ships come through the med bay over the last three days.

The Starfleet databases were getting quite the update as they uploaded whatever information they could garner from the _Avis's_ crew. Only a small percent were from planets or races the Fleet had encountered before. A majority of them were completely new to them. Uhura and Spock were like two kids given free rein in a candy store.

Leonard had certainly had his work cut out for him patching everyone up. Between Dr. Dem and a lot of nerve-wracking guesswork they had succeeded fairly well in getting everyone back on the feet. He opened a file on his PADD that contained all his notes on the Avis's crew members he had examined. The academy was eagerly waiting for the reports so they could start including them in classes. He had been halfway through his review of an abnormally tall brown-skinned male with purprle facial stripes much like the captain's friend when the captain had woken up. Scans had shown some interesting bone arrangements and constructions that he wanted to take a look at. A glance at the clock told him that he had another couple of hours until he was expected to be anywhere. He pulled his coffee mug closer and settled back in his chair.

* * *

Scotty eyed the mess of wiring in front of him. It was a miracle the ship hadn't caught itself on fire a long time ago. Whoever had been responsible for laying out the _Avis's_ electrical system had nary a clue as to what they had been about. He could feel his blood pressure going up the longer he looked at it.

He and Jaylah were in a small control room for one of the lower level corridors that had been badly damaged in the attack. Now that all the important things such as the engines and superstructures had been mostly repaired they were able to move onto the smaller tasks. Like doors and lights. Assuming he could figure out what he was looking at.

"Jaylah, can I see those schematics again?" he called, stretching a hand out from the contol panel he was half inside of.

"Jaylah?" he prompted again after the PADD failed to be placed in his hand after a moment. "The schematics if you please?"

Concerned when there was still no response, Scotty slid out of the control panel and looked around for his girlfriend and assistant. A portable lamp gave off enough light to ward off the dark and illuminate a small circle of the room about three feet in diameter. Jaylah was nowhere to be seen, which made Scotty even more concerned. Jaylah wouldn't just walk off in the middle of a task like that.

Scotty got to his feet and dusted off his pants. He grabbed the lamp from the ledge it was on and carried it out into the corridor. The pale light cast everything into eerie shadows.

"Jaylah? Are you out here lass?" Scotty called into the darkness. Silence was his only answer as he took a few more steps trying to make out any familiar shapes in the pitch black.

The further he went down the corridor the more he felt like he was being watched. While he wasn't an overly superstitious person, his Scottish ancestry and his own imagination made him superstitious enough to swear that there was almost a sentience to the darkness. Something lurking out there that made his hair stand on end.

"If this is some kind of a prank Jaylah, I'm just letting you know now that it's not very funny."

There were a few more tense moments of silence until he finally heard her voice call faintly from up ahead of him.

"I am here Montgomery Scotty." The tone of her voice sounded off, but Scotty didn't spare it much thought as he gratefully made his way torwards where he had heard her voice. A minute later she suddenly stepped out of the darkness. Before he could even think about opening his mouth to say something she strode over to him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. Surprised at the very un-Jaylah like action it took a moment for Scotty to respond and wrap his free arm around her. They stayed that way for a few breaths until he pulled away to look at her.

"Are you alright lass? You had me a wee bit worried back there when you up and disappeared on me." Jaylah didn't answer immediately. She was still watching the toes of her boots with one hand still resting on his shoulder. Scotty had never seen her this rattled, not since she joined Starfleet at least. He hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her face up so she would look at him. His heart dropped when he saw her face. She had a hunted, haunted expression on her face. The last time he had seen anything like that look was when they were still on Altamid and dealing with Krall.

"Jaylah?"

"There is something terrible out there Montgomery Scotty. Something horrible and it watches us." Scotty became aware of every hair and nerve fiber in his body at her words. Hadn't he just been thinking the same things? However, Jaylah was giving him a rare moment of her turning to him for strength and he didn't want her to see that he was as rattled as she was.

"Aye, these halls are a bit on the sinister side. Come back with me and help get this control panel sorted out. The sooner we fix things, the sooner we're off this ship. And I for one think that's a very good thing."

Jaylah nodded as they made their way back to the control room. If their hands shook a bit when they slid together, neither said a word as they walked through the gloom.

* * *

 **Medical Terminology explained:**

 ** _Subdural Hematoma_ : Bleed underneath the dura mater, the first protective layer of the brain after the bone of the skull.**

 ** _Anti-convulsants_ : Anti-seizure meds. Too much pressure on the brain can cause seizures.**

 ** _Anti-hypertensives_ : Meds for high blood pressure. High blood pressure can make the bleeding and swelling worse.**

 _ **Anti-inflammatory:**_ **Reduces body's natural inflammatory response to an injury helping to keep the swelling and pain manageable.**

 ** _Frontal Lobe_ : the very front part of the brain behind your forehead which is also known as the frontal bone. Controls personality and things that make you you.**

 _ **A/N: So, what did you think? As always leave me a message after this note. ~Naomi**_


End file.
